River Oyster Bar

When I was in Miami for work, we decided to go to the River Oyster Bar (ROB) for a nice seafood dinner. We had a private room, but the restaurant is otherwise very modern, sleek, and open, with a spacious bar in the middle.

To start off, I got a cocktail with spiced apple rum and bourbon and the deviled eggs with paddlefish caviar. I loved deviled eggs, but I’ve never had caviar before so I was curious about how the caviar would change the dish. The caviar didn’t really seem to add much more than a little bit of a salt to the dish.

For my main dish, I went with the crab cakes. I love the flavor of crab, but I’ve only had crab cakes one time that truly impressed me. Nevertheless, crab cakes are a dish I continue to order in search of places that nail the dish. ROB’s crab cake dish, served with remoulade, was fine. It didn’t have too much breading or large chunks of celery that some places sneak into their dishes, but it didn’t really wow me. They were a tad bit overcooked which didn’t help but they were perfectly adequate. The search continues for great crab cakes!

For dessert, I ordered the five-layer coconut cake with rum caramel. This was spectacular. The serving size is easily enough for two or even three people and none of the people at my table who ordered it were able to finish it. The caramel sauce was a nice complement to the cake as well. It was perhaps a little too sweet but it’s dessert so I cannot complain.

Overall, while I wasn’t wowed, I think I saw enough promise in the dishes that I’d like to see what else their menu has to offer. The top of my list if I’m able to visit again would have to be the crispy skin suckling pig with cheesy grits.